Cannabis Archives - Chicago Reader

two wheatpasted posters by artist Shepard Fairey on a wall in Los Angeles. one reads Cannabis Justice Now. The other poster has an image of a prisoner behind bars holding a newspaper that reads marijuana legalized

Locked up for cannabis, locked out of work

by Tatiana Walk-Morris April 22, 2023April 22, 2023

Craig Cesal was sentenced to life in prison for a cannabis offense before former President Donald Trump granted him a pardon. Today he finds himself in a different position: director of advocacy and senior clemency case manager at his nonprofit, the Second Chance Foundation. Last year, the Oakbrook Terrace resident teamed up with attorney Huma […]

Best of Chicago

2022 Cannabis poll winners

by Chicago Reader April 5, 2023April 5, 2023

The people, places, and things voted Chicago’s best—and runners-up: “adult use” dispensary, “adult use” (rec) budtender, medical cannabis dispensary, medical budtender or patient care rep, clinic to get certified for a medical card, infused chocolate, infused gummies, infused beverage (drink, drop, syrup, tea), consumable, other (mint, tablet, snack food, etc.), product for increased libido, strain or consumable product for pain relief (include producer), strain or product for relief of anxiety (include producer), strain or product for sleep (include producer), topical, vape concentrate (strain & brand/producer), non-vape concentrate (strain & brand/producer), cannabis accessory selection in a dispensary, cannabis accessory boutique (non-dispensary), cannabis supper club, home chef, or caterer, local CBD source (local non-dispensary shop or brand), pet CBD product, cannabis advocacy or restorative justice organization, grow support resource, home grow supply shop, and more

Do the winter blues get you down?

The winter holiday season is often considered a magical time of year—its festive lights, music, smells, and gatherings making some people giddy with glee. But for many people, the holidays and the long cold months that follow can trigger feelings of sadness and loneliness, or otherwise coincide with a decline in mental health. According to […]

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month has come and gone, but its message continues all year long

National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month takes place every September, but it’s important to be proactive and keep the conversation about mental wellness going strong throughout the year. But if you know someone struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, approaching them about it can feel daunting. With that in mind, Nature’s Grace and Wellness has […]

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Suicide is an important topic that people are often hesitant to discuss. But the more we talk about it, the more we can break the stigmas, and the more lives we can save. Misinformation surrounding mental health can cause us to downplay the severity of symptoms in friends and loved ones experiencing depression, and perpetuate […]

How does cannabis affect the body and how to avoid overdoing it

Despite the growing acceptance and accessibility of cannabis in states where it’s been legalized, many outdated stigmas surrounding the plant remain. That means that even people who use cannabis for recreational or medical purposes might know more about its associations with party culture or old-school anti-marijuana films that depicted it as a societal menace (remember […]

Fame, Creativity, and Mental Health

Alex Ebert may be best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Grammy Award-winning indie-rock band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, the frontman of art-rock group Ima Robot, and a composer who won a Golden Globe for his score for the 2013 film All is Lost but his interests and creative endeavors extend […]

Cannabis, Comedy, and Mental Health

Cannabis and creativity are often associated with one another. Many people in the arts have claimed that using the plant helps open their mind and can be beneficial to divergent ways of thinking. We decided to explore the relationship between cannabis and comedy with comedian, writer, journalist, and dog mom Lauren Vino. Nature’s Grace and […]

Kelley O’Hern: An Interview with Nature’s Grace’s Canna-Mom

How has becoming the owner of one of Illinois’s first cannabis cultivations contributed to your family’s agricultural legacy? My husband’s family has farmed in Fulton and McDonough County for six generations. This in itself is the legacy and something to be proud of. It has been generations of hard work and family effort that made […]